Crisp Haricots Verts with Pine Nuts

by Melissa Clark

Epicurious
November 2007

4/4

reviews (28)

89%

make it again

Photo by Stephen Sullivan; food and prop styling: Roscoe Betsill

The secret to this recipe's rich, nutty flavor is the browned butter. Watch the butter carefully as it cooks to make sure it doesn't burn. If you can't find slim, delicate haricots verts, substitute green beans and cook them for an extra minute or two. You can also substitute fresh mint for the oregano for a different flavor.

Ingredients

2 pounds haricots verts, trimmed

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup pine nuts

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Have ready large bowl ice water. In large pot boiling salted water
, blanch haricots verts until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, then plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain again and pat dry. (Haricots verts can be blanched 1 day ahead, drained and patted dry, and refrigerated until ready to use.)

In large skillet over moderately high heat, melt butter. Cook, uncovered, until dark golden and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in pine nuts and toast, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds. Add haricots verts, oregano, salt, and pepper; toss until heated through. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Recent Review

Overall, this was a worthwhile recipe to try out, but I give it 3 stars instead of 4 for a few reasons:
1. Green beans look more appealing and are easier to eat when julienne/French cut. It takes longer to prepare this way, but I think it is worth the effort.
2. The recipe calls for too much butter. I would suggest half what the recipe calls for.
3. Doing it over again, I would probably mince the pine nuts with garlic and dry roast those ingredients together, then sprinkle over the beans in the serving dish instead of sautéing the whole lot in the same pan. I also think roasted grape or cherry tomatoes might be a nice addition to toss into the mix.